The Single Father's Club
by Tobi is a good boy
Summary: Rated: T. Set in Modern AU. Elrond has been a single father for seven years. Glorfindel convinces him to join a Single Parent's Club. There, he meets the mysterious and enigmatic Thranduil, who is also a single father. Eventual ThranduilxElrond. Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

The Single Father's Club

Tobi is a good boy

I do not own LOTR

_Rated: T. Set in Modern AU. Elrond has been a single father for seven years. Glorfindel convinces him to join a Single Parent's Club. There, he meets the mysterious and enigmatic Thranduil, who is also a single father._

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><p>Elrond looked up in apprehension at the foreboding grey building. The rain was falling heavily and his thin jacket did not offer much protection. He forced himself to take a deep breath and opened the door, entering the dimly light building.<p>

At the foyer, there was a single table with a sad little cheery banner exclaiming in bright colours 'Single Parents' Club.' The woman at the table looked a little confused as Elrond approached her.

"Hello, sir," she said, "If you're looking for the gym, it's down the hallway to your right."

Elrond swallowed, "I'm here for the single parent's night," he nearly whispered.

The woman's eyes visibly widened her mouth dropping into a small 'O'. "What's your name?"

"It's Elrond," murmured Elrond, wringing his hands nervously.

"Alright, Elrond, it's just through that door there," she pointed towards the most ominous doorway Elrond had ever set his eyes on. It loomed above him.

Nervously, Elrond approached, going through the doorway and into a small room with a kitchenette attached. There was already a circle of chairs and a gaggle of women sitting in them. They all turned their heads once he entered, and some giggled.

Elrond went and sat down in one of the empty chairs, taking of his drenched jacket and folding it on the back of the chair. He took out a pen and a notebook from his bag and absentmindedly began chewing the pen.

"Alright ladies, leave the poor man alone," chuckled a deep timbered voice from the kitchenette. Out stepped a tall man, with golden hair tied in an exquisite braid, his blue eyes shining with mirth. He was wearing a well-tailored blue suit that clung to the man's finely muscled frame. In the man's pale hands he held a mug of steaming tea. The man strode over beside him and put the tea on the table beside Elrond. "I'm Thranduil," he murmured, his blue eyes meeting Elrond's. "You look like you could use a cuppa."

Elrond uncontrollably felt his face flush at the presence of this man. "Elrond. I mean, thank you, I am Elrond"

Thranduil clapped his hands and the gaggle of women immediately quietened and sat attentively. "Welcome all, new and old, to the Rivendell Community Single Parent's Club. Let us all begin with introducing ourselves. I am Thranduil, I have been a single father for five years and I am a psychologist. My wife died from cancer."

They went round the circle, murmuring their names, how they came to be single, what they did. Elrond half listened, but did not pay much attention.

"Elrond?" came Thranduil's voice across the mist.

Elrond suddenly came to attention, aware that the whole group was staring at him. He blushed once more. When he had Celebrian with him, she helped him cope with his anxiety. Found ways to make it easier for him to speak. She was patient with him.

She was dead.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet, "My name is Elrond, and I have been a single father for seven years. I have two twin boys, and one baby girl. I'm a social worker. My wife was murdered."

There was silence after this pronunciation.

Thranduil coughed. "Thank you all, for sharing these things. Today, we are going to talk about moving on. All of us here have moved on from terrible things by being here today. Elrond, what convinced you to come here after seven years of being a single parent?"

Elrond met Thranduil's gaze once more, "I was forced to attend by well-meaning friends." This was the truth. Glorfindel, his roommate and long-time friend, had basically dragged him to the community centre. Elladan and Elrohir, his young cheeky twins, were leaving suspicious notes suggesting that Elrond begin dating again.

Thranduil's grey eyebrow rose as he peered at Elrond. His gaze was disconcerting and Elrond found himself turning away from it, drowning the rest of the session out by returning to the warm comfort of his memory.

x

Elrond turned the key of his apartment and was greeted by his two rambunctious boys yelling.

"Calm down!" he laughed as he came into the warmth of the apartment.

The two boys grinned at him, "But Uncle Glorfy says that he's going to eat us Da!"

Elrond raised an eyebrow and turned towards his roommate. "Is he now?"

Glorfindel grinned and shrugged. He was built like a tank, with short blonde hair and a tattoo of a demon on his shoulder. He wore a tank top, regardless of the cold weather. The man was a personal heater. "I am if they don't do their homework!"

Elladan and Elrohir giggled and bounded off.

Glorfindel gave Elrond a warm, friendly hug. "How was the club?"

Elrond sprawled himself on the couch. "Strange. The leader was nice. His name is Thranduil."

Glorfindel peered at Elrond, "Thranduil? You sure?"

Elrond pushed himself up the couch. Glorfindel gossiped like a fishwife and seemed to know about everyone's business.

"Why?" he said, interested.

Glorfindel's blue eyes darkened. "I wouldn't trust him, El."


	2. Chapter 2

The Single Father's Club

Tobi is a good boy

I do not own LOTR

Chapter Two

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><p>Glorfindel passed Elrond a cup of steaming mint tea as he sat down on the sofa beside the younger man.<p>

Elladan and Elrohir had been tucked away to sleep and Glorfindel rocked Arwen gently in his arms, cooing softly.

"You only make me this," Elrond raised the tea to his lips, "If you've got to bad news to break."

Glorfindel nodded, swallowing. "It's about Thranduil."

Elrond raised a slim eyebrow and sipped at the warm tea.

"Before his wife died…he was involved in some shady stuff,El," the blonde murmured gently.

"Like what kind of stuff?"

"Drugs," replied Glorfindel, "He got himself involved with Sauron's gang of thugs. He was desperate to find a cure and driven mad by the grief."

"Thranduil?" Elrond tried to picture the well-dressed blonde man dealing with thugs and drugs. He had seemed so _put together _at the meeting earlier.

"Do you think I should still go?"

The older man beside him looked thoughtful. Ever since a young age, Glorfindel had asserted himself as Elrond's protector. Apparently he had made a promise to Elrond's father before the man disappeared. Glorfindel had always been there for him and always supported Elrond.

"Yes, yes, you should. But be wary of Thranduil."

Elrond nudged Glorfindel. "How did your date go with Erestor?"

Erestor was a colleague of Elrond's who worked in the social work department. Glorfindel's ears flared red with embarrassment and Elrond grinned.

"I'm glad. Erestor's a good man."

"I know," replied Glorfindel, "I'll have to be a gentleman with him."

"You?" scoffed Elrond, teasingly.

Glorfindel eyeballed him for a moment and then grinned broadly.

"Come on. To bed with you."

Elrond nodded, taking Arwen from Glorfindel's arms into his own.

X

Thranduil greeted Elrond warmly as he entered into the club space once more. Elrond's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Thank you for coming back, Elrond," the man said, each syllable of his name pronounced specifically to ensure to entice a blush from him. Elrond was sure of it.

Elrond turned away, sitting in a chair in the semi-circle of giggling women. Some of them gave him flirtatious looks, but he ignored them.

Once more, Thranduil clapped his hands and began the ceremony.

"Today, we speak about forgiveness," and here his eyes met Elrond's

Elrond froze, pinned to his char.

_My God._

_He knows. _


	3. Chapter 3

The Single Father's Club

Tobi is a good boy

I do not own JRR Tolkien's works.

Chapter Three

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><p>Thranduil smiled warmly at Elrond. Elrond's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the taller man.<p>

"I am glad you came," drawled the man, his blue eyes shimmering with a mischievous glint. "I hope the others have not been gossiping too much about me."

Elrond's suspicions were confirmed.

The other man knew that something had been revealed about him.

"Oh no," Elrond shook his head, glancing at the chitterling women, "I have other…more reliable sources."

Thranduil raised a slim, grey eyebrow, as remote as King.

He leaned in towards Elrond, so much so that Elrond could smell the musk of his body. It was almost the scent of pine trees, mixed with fresh berries.

"Would that source be Glorfindel Fontaine?"

Elrond stiffened his reaction, trying to appear nonchalant. "Why yes, it is."

Thranduil's lips seemed to curl in pleasure.

"Perhaps, you would care to invite him and your boys to dinner with me," here the man paused, "To set the record straight."

Elrond swallowed nervously. He summoned his best courage, "I shall ask him on your behalf, Doctor."

Elrond then turned on his heel quickly, walking away from Thranduil and heading for home.

X

Elrond packed his bag, ready to go out for his home visits. He had not yet had the time to speak to Glorfindel about Thranduil's invitation.

_Perhaps it would be best if I just ignored that conversation._

Indeed, in the past week, Elrond had been concentrating on his young boys and darling daughter. Glorfindel said he spoiled them rotten, but Elrond found that it took away the pain of his wife's death. Somehow, being with his children brought him closer to her.

The first on his list today was a young mother, Gilraen.

Elrond frowned.

As one of the more senior social workers, it was his responsibility to deal with the 'problem' cases. Gilraen stubbornly denied social workers entry or denied that she needed help and support.

Elrond was one of the few that she had trusted and let into her home.

From the cupboard, Elrond placed on one of the special I.D. badges that social workers were now required to wear. They, like club bouncers' badges, had small CCTV cameras and a panic button.

Most of his colleagues did not phone before they came, but Elrond always phoned Gilraen before he arrived. He found it put her at ease.

Gilraen, like Elrond, lived on the council estate. Her flat was in the run-down block of towers that were due to be demolished five years ago.

He knocked on her door with two quick raps, "It's Elrond, Gilraen."

Bolts behind the door were withdrawn, and two locks turned before the door opened a crack. A pale woman, with dark, long hair and haunted eyes appeared in the slim crack of the doorway.

"Hullo, Elrond," grinned Gilraen, her face pinched (no doubt from hunger).

"May I come in today, Gilraen?" asked Elrond, keeping his face neutral.

Gilraen seemed to hesitate for a moment, scanning the hallway with beady eyes, "Course", she smiled again, "Little Aragorn wants to see you again."

"And I want to see him," replied Elrond, truthfully.

Gilrean opened the door wider to admit him. Once over the threshold, the door was locked and bolted. The whole entire apartment was dark, the windows blacked out with newspaper and curtains. Elrond was glad to see that Gilrean had made an effort to tidy the flat to make it habitable for a now three year old Aragorn.

The toddler was lying a cot, with healthy pink cheeks and deep green eyes. He gurgled and smiled as soon as Elrond came near.

"Hello, Aragorn, why aren't you handsome?" Elrond sat down on the couch, taking a broken mug of tea gratefully from Gilrean.

"Now, Gilrean, how have things been for you? I really like how you've made such a cosy area for Aragorn. I bet it's an improvement for both you and him."

"Aye, I think he been liking havin' his wee space an' all. I'm still a'feared for him, though."

"And why are you afraid?"

"I know Sauron's gonna come lookin' for us. After all the things my husband said to the police about him an' all. I'm afraid he's gonna take my bairn and use him to keep me silent."

"Well," Elrond withdrew a heap of paperwork, "I am going to try and wrangle some things to make you and Aragorn feel a bit more secure. You know how my badge works?"

The young mum nodded, "Yeah, it records everything."

"Well, if we can install some cameras outside and in your hallway, would that make you feel a bit more safe?"

Again, she nodded, "You'd do all that paperwork for me?"

"Yes. For you. And for your son."


	4. Chapter 4

The Single Father's Club

Tobi is a good boy

I do not own LOTR

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

Glorfindel came in through the doorway, shrugging off his jacket. There was scowl written on his face. His long blonde hair was wet from the rain and tied in a loose braid.

"Ooh," hooted Elladan, "Uncle Glorfindel is _mad!"_

"Yeah," agreed Elrohir, "He looks freaking pissed!"

Elrond could not help but grin at his silly boys' behaviour. He rose from the sofa to greet Glorfindel, chiding them softly :"Boys! Elrohir, language, please!"

The boys giggled at their private jokes, which pleased Elrond immensely. It was good to see them laughing, enjoying life like they should at this age.

"What's happened, Glorfindel?"

Glorfindel ran a hand through his fringe, sighing softly. He looked tired, but perhaps that was the result of the rain on his apperance.

"Guess who came to speak to me at work?"

Elrond's eyes widdened, "It was Thranduil, wasn't?"

The older man nodded, "Apparently he invited us to dinner a couple of weeks ago, Elrond."

Here, Elrond groaned. "I had forgotten all about it!"

Glorfindel raised a slim eyebrow. "Well, he has not! He's now invited us to this fancy charity dinner he is holding and how can I refuse?!"

Elrond pinched his brow. "It surely cannnot be so bad to go to one dinner as a family together with Thranduil."

The older man pursed his lips, deep in thought. His eyes flared with a sudden fire: "No, but stay close to me, El."

X

Elrond, dressed in his steel blue suit, felt uncomfortable. Thranduil owned a large house in the most expensive side of town, the modernist home all reflective glass and wood, making it appear as if it was carven from the forest around it.

Beside him, Glorfindel pressed a reassuring hand and his shoulder. His two boys were dressed in suits as well, and Arwen wore a pretty pink dress.

The tall wooden doors to Thranduil's home were guarded by grim men in black suits. All of the sudden the door was thrown open by a small boy with long blonde hair in a braid.

"LEGOLAS!" shouted a voice, which Elrond knew to be Thranduil's own.

The small boy grinned at them mischeviously.

"Hurry! My Ada's-"

Thranduil appeared behind the boy, his face thunderous. He was dressed immaculately as ever, in a grey well fitted suit.

"What are you doing, Legolas?" he asked through gritted teeth. His steely eyes flickered over to Elrond and then to Glorfindel. Thranduil's lips formed a slim line at the sight of the blonde man, but it passed as soon as it had come.

Elrond, used to getting his own sons out of trouble, interrupted: "This young man was helping his Ada greet his guests, weren't you, Legolas?"

Legolas, his eyes as wide as saucers, nodded dumbly. He was clearly slightly scared of his father, from his apprehensive body language.

"These are my two boys, Elladan and Elrohir. My little girl, Arwen. Why don't you go and show them where you play?"

"Alright," the blonde said shyly, waving a hand to Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen to follow him.

This left the trio of adults on the doorstep.

"Thranduil," Glorfindel's words were clipped and cool as ice.

Thranduil nodded his head icly, but his eyes were fixed upon Elrond's own. "You dress well in a suit, Elrond."

Elrond blushed and felt as if he was entering the mines of Moria as he stepped through into the threshold of Thranduil's grand house.


	5. Chapter 5

The Single Father's Club

Tobi is a good boy

I do not own LOTR

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

The inside of Thranduil's placial house was decorated in soft greys and golds, almost like cavern. The floors were made of granite, but were warm underfoot. However warm it felt, it did not have the same homey feel as Elrond's small council house apartment.

Thranduil indicated to a long,carved wooden table which overlooked the garden outside. Elrond's heart raced nervously as he paced slowly towards the table, hardly hearing the cool, polite discussions between Glorfindel and Thranduil. Other guests, dressed in suits or dresses in tones of grey or gold mingled around the table.

"Please sit," Thranduil waved an arm to chair that was obviously beside his own.

"Thank you," managed Elrond, thankful that Maglor had been insistent on him learning his manners at a young age.

Glorfindel eased himself into a chair next to Elrond, his sharp azure eyes scanning thier surroundings.

Thranduil's slim fingers picked up a crystal wineglass and he tapped it with a delicate silver knife. The sound rang throughout the large, wide room, echoing back.

"Guests, please, sit!"

The other guests came to sit around the table whilst Thranduil still stood.

"Thank you all for coming to my annual charity dinner!"

Elrond could swear the man's eyes flickered to his own for the briefest of seconds. "As you know, my wife died five years ago from cancer, leaving me with my young boy, Legolas."

Thanduil's slim fingers appeared to grip the stem of the wineglass tighter. "This cancer, this disease was the work of Sauron."

Elrond almost found himself agreeing with Thranduil. Sauron operated under the guise of a pharmaceutical businessman He had concocted various drugs which were so addictive but left the person as a shell of themselves.

"Orcs" the people called them, because those addicted became horrifying, gruesome versions of themselves. However, whenever the police had any leads on the drugs, Sauron could never be convicted of his crimes as there was never enough solid evidence.

Elrond knew in his heart that Celebrian and Arathorn had been murdered by Sauron or Sauron's lackeys, but there never was enough evidence to prove it.

_How did Sauron have anything to do with Thranduil's wife's cancer? _

Glorfindel's expression was blank, but wary as the man watched Thranduil's speech.

"So it is with great delight that this year, I have nominated the Greenwood Police Department as our charity!"

There were several claps and delighted expressions on the other guests' faces.

Thranduil turned towards where Glorfindel and Elrond sat, a huge smile upon his face.

"And here to accept your generous donation, is my _special _guest, Captain Glorfindel Fontaine!"

Glorfindel's face only twitched slightly. Elrond recognized this as Glorfindel carefully masking his anger towards others.

Glorfindel stood to his full height, an impressive six foot five and coldly shook Thranduil's hand. "Thank you," he murmured to the man.

"Not at all," Thranduil replied, still smiling, appearing as a gracious host.

_Why has Thranduil donated money to the police department? And especially to Glorfindel?_

_Is there something more he is not telling me?_


End file.
